//------------------------------// // Rainbows in the Dark // Story: Full Circle // by BronyMetalhead //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash had just left Fluttershy's cottage, her brows furrowed with rage. The rainbow-maned flier had gone there in hopes that her friend could assist with Trixie's recuperation, but when she had arrived, she saw that Fluttershy was in no shape to help. Her friend was crying, and had apparently been crying for quite some time. The only words Rainbow could get out of the sensitive mare were “It's all my fault” and “Thunderwing”. The racer had left immediately after, not hearing her friend tell her 'not to hurt him' on her way out. “I swear I will geld that son of a mule,” she muttered as she flew. She was making a pass on the far edge of Everfree when she heard especially loud thunderclaps in the distance back towards Ponyville, but at a higher altitude. As far away as they were, she could still feel the vibrations deep in her abdomen. “There isn't a storm scheduled for today,” she said aloud, then flew to the source of the disturbance. As she flew closer, she could hear what sounded like screams of rage and anguish. Rainbow was almost to the source when a lightning bolt singed her tail. It was then that she saw the blue pegasus stallion kicking any clouds that dared to get too close to him. As experienced as Dash was on the weather patrol, even she was impressed by the stallion's bucks as his rear hooves connected to the clouds. Indeed, she felt he would've made a fine addition to the weather patrol had he not pursued a career in music instead. Rainbow saw him well enough that Thunderwing was in a blind rage, and she didn't want to be on the business-end of his hooves, so she watched him from a distance. Eventually, he tired himself out and was soon lying on his stomach on a cloud, crying into it. “You and I need to have a talk, bud,” Rainbow said when she got close enough to him. “Leave me alone,” he said between sobs, “I'm not in the mood.” “You hurt one of my best friends, you bastard!” the mare screamed. “Now, you have five seconds to explain yourself, or else I'm bucking you until you're glue.” “Try it, Dash!” Thunderwing growled, getting in her muzzle. “But if you think I would hurt my Shy-Shy-” “Wait a sec... Shy-Shy?!” the mare asked, the absolute ridiculousness of the nickname completely diffusing her anger. “What's this about?” Thunderwing laid back on the cloud, crying anew. “I don't want to talk about it,” he rasped. “Now please, just leave me alone.” The racer landed on the cloud next to Thunderwing and touched him with a wing. “What happened between you and Fluttershy?” The musician sighed, realizing that the mare wasn't going to leave. “Nothing,” he replied as levelly as he could, “I haven't seen her for fifteen years. I thought she was dead. We all did... Mom... Dad... Dad left because of it... Mom took me and moved away from Cloudsdayle to some rats' nest in Bucklyn.” At that moment, the realization hit Rainbow Dash like a lightning bolt: Fluttershy and Thunderwing weren't an item, but siblings. And in her gut, Rainbow knew the incident the bassist was referring to: the fateful race that sent Fluttershy earthward... that day that she and her five best friends got their Cutie Marks. She and Fluttershy never spoke of what happened after that. At that time, Fluttershy was still too weak to make her way back to Cloudsdayle, and by the time Rainbow Dash had found her and helped her regain her strength, it was already too late. Fluttershy's family home was empty, and nopony knew where they had gone. Suddenly, the racer felt sick to her stomach knowing that, while her motives were altruistic, her recklessness nearly killed Fluttershy and ended up destroying her family. “I'm sorry, Thunderwing,” she said, her eyes full of tears, “it's all my fault. It was me who sent her falling to the ground. I was just trying to defend her honor against some idiot colts who were making fun of her. If you're going to hate anypony, hate me. I helped her try to find your folks after I saw that Fluttershy was okay, but you all left without a trace. All that was left were some pictures.” Thunderwing looked at the mare, his expression unreadable. “Answer me this,” he said, his voice unnervingly calm, “did you watch over her?” “Of course I did,” Dash said, her tone defensive. “In fact, I helped her get enough strength so she could fly back to Cloudsdayle. But since your folks left, she chose to stay in Ponyville.” Thunderwing sighed deeply, then sat up, wiping his eyes with a wing. “Then I can't hate you, Rainbow Dash,” he replied. “If anything, since you helped keep my sister alive, I should be thanking you.” “Where are your folks? I'll make sure to get word to your mom and dad personally to let them know that Fluttershy's alive and well. I just hope that I can eventually make it up to you and your family.” “Dad's the head of the Weather Patrol in Los Pegasus. I don't know where he lives, though. Mom's still in Bucklyn at that same apartment.” Thunderwing sighed again. “She doesn't see anypony.” “I'll do right by you and Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, her eyes locked into Thunderwing's. “That's a promise.” The stallion smiled kindly at the cyan mare, then embraced her. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” he said. “You know,” the rainbow-maned pegasus said, “there's a certain awesome mare that you said you'd hang out with, but you've been up here busting up these clouds.” “You're right. What do you say about maybe racing around while blasting some Marebid Angel and Mercyfilly Fate?” “Throw in some Iron Mare and you can count me in!” Dash said with a grin. “Just don't bring that last one from Marebid Angel... that one was so lame.” “Yeah I know. What the hay were they thinking? Just bear with me, okay?” the stallion said. “I'm not exactly that strong of a flier.” “Yep, you are her brother,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. The two were off, with Rainbow going at half speed so Thunderwing could keep up. They made a stop at the mare's house so she could get her phonograph set up. Soon, the air was filled with the sound of buzzsaw guitars and pounding drums as the two pegasi sped through the clouds. The stallion watched the mare as she flew and couldn't help but admire her agility. He knew that, even if he hadn't moved to Bucklyn, he still wouldn't have had Rainbow Dash's natural speed and skill. Then came the matter of the mare herself. When he first met her, he found her to be a bit too tomboyish for his tastes. Seeing her in her natural element was another story entirely; watching her soaring with the wind through her multi-hued mane, he found her quite beautiful. “Hey!” he heard her shouting. “Yeah?” “See something you like?” He realized that his gaze must have lingered a little too long, and felt his face flush. Rainbow stopped to laugh heartily at the stallion's reddening, which made Thunderwing blush even harder. This, of course, made the mare laugh even harder. “Wow,” she said, “you're cute when you're embarrassed.” “It doesn't happen often, let me assure you.” “That's okay, Thunderwing,” she said, patting him with her hoof, “I kinda like you. Yeah, you're in my favorite band and all, but you're a really cool pony, and really sweet.” She gave him the once over. “Kinda easy on the eyes, too,” she added with a wink. The stallion smiled and ran a hoof through his mane. “Thanks,” he said. “Most mares are really only interested in me because I'm in a band, or if they find out that I'm a musician, I never see them again. It's nice to meet a mare who doesn't care about that stuff.” “Most stallions are intimidated by me,” she said. “Either they feel like I won't like them because they can't keep up with me, or they try to be better than me and end up coming short. I don't care if a guy can't keep up with me; I mean, I have a tortoise for a pet, for pony's sake!” “You have a tortoise for a pet?” “Yeah!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Hold on, I'll get him!” Thunderwing expected Dash to zip off to retrieve her pet, but instead, she yelled out, “Tank! Come here, buddy!” Soon, the bassist could hear a whirring sound, and from the distance, he could see a shape approaching them at a pretty decent speed. The shape soon became a tortoise wearing a propeller strapped to his shell, flight goggles, and a grin. The stallion found himself laughing at the absurdity of what he was seeing. “That,” he said, “is the most awesome thing I've ever seen. That pretty much invalidates any argument a pony can have. I mean, they can say something and you can say, 'I've got a tortoise-copter; your argument is invalid'. Awesome!” “I didn't realize how cool he was until he saved me at Ghastly Gorge,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing Tank's shell. “A giant boulder fell, pinning one of my wings. This little guy managed to lift it up enough so I could get out. He's been my buddy ever since.” “See? He even has a cool story attached to him,” Thunderwing replied. “Makes for a great pet.” Rainbow Dash nodded, then turned to the tortoise. “See you when I get home, pal,” she said, bumping one of his feet with her hoof. Tank nodded once very slowly, then flew back in the direction of his owner's house. The two then realized that either the music had stopped, or they were too far away to hear it. “Hey, whaddaya say we spy on the others?” Rainbow asked. “Sure, why not?” Thunderwing replied. Soon, the pair were flying high over Sweet Apple Acres in the night sky. They were above the west end of the orchard when they saw two specks on a small hill. The mare put a hoof to her lips, and then the two pegasi were in a large, low-hanging cloud. She recognized one of them as her friend Applejack; the other was a stallion she recognized as Alicorn Malign's drummer. “Hey,” she whispered, “what's your drummer doing with Applejack?” Thunderwing peeled the clouds back a little so he could see what the two were doing. He saw Sticks's hoof touching the farm mare's, and his eyes firmly locked into hers. “It would appear,” he whispered back, “that they're on a date.” Rainbow almost starting laughing again, but the stallion silenced her with his hoof. “Quiet, they'll hear us,” he whispered. “Hey,” Applejack's voice said in the distance, “you hear somethin'?” The two earth ponies listened, but heard nothing. “Must've been the wind, or something,” Sticks replied. “Does feel like we're being watched, though.” “It'd be my luck my friend Rainbow Dash might be spyin' on us. Sneakin' around weren't never her strong suit.” “How would you know about that?” “Well, there was that time she snuck into the hospital to try and steal a Daring Do book,” Applejack said with a grin. “Caused a whole big ruckus!” Sticks chuckled heartily at the story, and up in the clouds, Thunderwing held his breath to stifle his own laughter. The colorful pegasus mare glared at her companion balefully, then whispered, “Oh, come on, those books are awesome.” “It's not the books,” he said quietly, “it's the fact that you broke into a hospital to get it. You know, this town does have a library.” “Well,” the mare said, shuffling a hoof awkwardly, “I didn't want to seem like an egghead. In the end, Twilight lent me all the books. I've read them all three times.” “I'm partial to Daring Do and The Cults of the Shadow myself. I like how it deals with zebra myth and rituals.” “That's my favorite, too!” Rainbow Dash yelled, then quickly put her hoof to her mouth. “I knew you'd be spyin' on us, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted to the sky. “Quick,” Dash whispered. “Let's get out of here!” With that, she bolted in the general direction of the library. Thunderwing simply shrugged, poked his head out through the bottom of the cloud he was crouched on, and said, “Have a good time, guys.” With that, the stallion flew after Rainbow Dash. * * * * * Cacophony slowly trotted with Twilight Sparkle next to him. The pair had gotten the rest of the ingredients from the Everfree Forest and brought them back to Zecora, who had promptly dismissed the two unicorns so Trixie could rest. “So, it looks like our evening is finally free,” the librarian said. “Unfortunately, with what happened, any plans I had for our date were completely ruined.” “Yeah, about that,” Cacophony said, “I'm not really looking for a relationship with anypony right now. Don't get me wrong; I like you and all, and I think you're really pretty.” Twilight sighed, but put a hoof on the stallion's wither and smiled. “That's okay, Cacophony,” she said. “Admittedly, I kind of put you on the spot earlier. We can still be friends, though. Right?” The musician's eyes met the librarian's. “Abso-bucking-lutely!” he said with a smile. “At any rate, you wanted my 'perspective' on The Mare in the Moon. Come on, I'll take you to my favorite spot as a colt.” The two unicorns cantered a little faster towards the woods skirting Ponyville. Twilight had an idea of where they were going. Her suspicions were soon confirmed when the pair were in front of the town's statue of Nightmare Moon looming menacingly above them. The librarian remembered the fateful Nightmare Night that Princess Luna had made an appearance, and vividly recalled the image of the forlorn princess offering the statue a piece of candy as if to make a peace offering with her demonic past. Cacophony and Twilight sat in silence gazing up at the statue's grimacing visage. “I remember first seeing this statue as a colt,” Cacophony began. “It was my first Nightmare Night, and I was giving my offering. “My classmates were giving up their stash so that Nightmare Moon would eat the candy instead of them. But not me. All I could think of was... 'it must be so lonely up there... nopony loves her...' “I never believed that Nightmare Moon ever ate foals,” he continued. He then looked over at Twlight. “Those were all stupid mare's tales. “Since then, I made it a point to know everything there was to know about Nightmare Moon. I knew she had been the Princess of the Night, but she was banished by the Princess of the Dawn when her authority was challenged... that she was jealous over how ponies would frolic during the daytime, but would huddle in their beds and sleep through the night. But the more I read, the more I felt like I understood how Nightmare Moon felt, and could relate to her plight when I thought about how things were at home. “I remember one Hearts and Hooves day. All my classmates had their 'special somepony'. Everypony but me,” the musician said. “Awww,” Twilight responded with a frown. Cacophony looked at Twilight and smiled. He then looked back up at the statue. “That night, I came here with flowers and candy, and laid them at the hooves of the statue. After all, Nightmare Moon didn't have a special somepony, either...” It didn't take long for Twilight to do the math. “You do know that my friends and I defeated her, and that she's no longer Nightmare Moon,” she said. “Oh, I know,” the stallion said, still smiling. “Everypony thought I was weird for doing that. You probably do, too. And I'll admit, looking back, it was a bit strange. But Nightmare Moon became Nightmare Moon because she thought nopony cared for her. The poetry that got me kicked out by my parents? They were poems for her, and if they hadn't kicked me out, I would've given them to her when she came here. “I thought that maybe... just maybe... a crush from an idiot school-colt could make her not be a monster anymore,” Cacophony concluded. He then looked down at the grass, pawing it with a hoof. “You probably think I'm stupid for thinking that.” “Absolutely not, Cacophony,” Twilight responded. “I'll admit, it's a little strange, but also sweet. Knowing Princess Luna, I think she'd be touched by how you feel.” “You know Princess Luna?” “Yes,” the unicorn mare replied, then shared with Cacophony how she had become the protégé of Princess Celestia, as well as some of the adventures she and Rarity had with their friends. She also included the troubles they had with Trixie. “Then we have you, Rares, and your friends to thank for bringing Princess Luna back to us,” the musician said after a pause. “If Trixie was so terrible to you all, why are you helping her?” “Oh, we forgave her for what she had done,” Twilight replied. “Besides, if she was able to gain such wonderful friends like you and your band-mates, then she's clearly making an effort to be a better pony.” She then stifled a yawn and said, “It's getting late, and we both should be getting some rest for the morning.” “You're right. Thanks for listening to me, Twilight.” Twilight hugged the musician and said, “What are friends for?” The pair then trotted back to the tree which housed the library. The lavender mare hugged the purple stallion again and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for a fascinating night, Cacophony. Let me know how Trixie's doing tomorrow, okay?” “You got it, Twilight Sparkle,” he replied. “Sleep well, and give my regards to your assistant.” Twilight chuckled. “Okay. Good night,” she said. “Good night.” The door had just shut behind the librarian when he had heard cheers coming from a cloud overhead. “Cacophony, you dog, you!” a familiar voice shouted. “Oh, for crying out loud, Thunders,” Cacophony shouted back, “you're going to wake everypony up!” “Long night, eh?” the pegasus bass player asked with a wink after flying down to the ground. He was followed by the rainbow-maned mare from earlier. “Nothing happened,” the unicorn said, “we were just talking. She wanted my perspective on The Mare in the Moon.” “Yeah, sure,” Thunderwing said with a wink, “you're just saying that because you don't want her friend here to kick your flank.” “Umm,” Rainbow Dash interjected, “that actually sounds like something that would happen on a date with Twilight Sparkle. I love her to pieces, but she's an absolute egghead. I wouldn't be surprised if Cacophony here is an egghead, too.” Thunderwing opened his mouth, then promptly shut it again. “Yeah,” he finally said, “he always was the intellectual of the band. Heck, he writes most of our lyrics, except for the ones about flying.” “Yeah,” the unicorn said, “can't write about something you can never know. Anyways, I'm heading to the room to crash.” With that, Cacophony trotted back towards the inn. When he was out of sight, Thunderwing looked at Rainbow Dash. “I had a really good time with you tonight,” he said, smiling sheepishly. “In fact, it was the best time I've had in years. I'm sorry about earlier.” “Don't worry about it,” she replied with a smile. “Just do me a favor and see Fluttershy tomorrow morning. She's convinced that you hate her and won't forgive her for abandoning you.” “I promise,” Thunderwing said. “Can you forgive me for causing that whole mess to begin with?” “You? Absolutely. After all, you watched out for her for all this time. However, if I ever run into those stallions that were making fun of her, I will make sure they regret what they did.” “So, I'll catch you around?” “Hopefully. I want to spend time with my sister, though. We've got a lot of catching up to do.” “Of course,” Rainbow Dash replied. The two stood in awkward silence for a seemingly interminable amount of time before the mare planted a kiss firmly on Thunderwing's lips, causing the wings of both pegasi to flare reflexively. “Something for you to think about,” Rainbow Dash said with a wink. “Good night!” With that, the mare flew off. Thunderwing grinned as he watched Rainbow Dash fly off, and practically skipped back to the inn where Cacophony was waiting in the lobby. The unicorn looked at his band-mate's still-flared wings and rolled his eyes. “Thunderwing, you dog, you,” he said with a grin. “Oh, shut up,” the pegasus said, hiding his face behind a wing. “Why aren't you in the room?” “Clearly, you were spending too much time playing kissy-face with your marefriend to realize that you're the one with the key.” The bass player looked down and realized that the key was on a chain around his neck. “Oops, sorry.” The unicorn smiled and said, “Don't worry about it. I'm glad your night went well.” “So what's up with Trix? You keep saying a bunch of horse-apples about 'checking up on her'. Is she okay?” “Honestly, no,” Cacophony replied. He then told the bass player about how he and Rarity found Trixie sleepwalking, as well as what Twilight told him about the Alicorn Amulet and what their keyboardist had done while it was in her possession. “She needs us to be there for her, Thunders.” “Well, yeah!” the pegasus replied incredulously. “I already knew Trix could be a pain in the plot. So did you, and so did the Fabulous Stalliongrad Brothers. I ain't gonna ditch her just because she had a brief reign of terror in some one-horse town while meddling with powers she barely understood. Who hasn't done that at some point in their lives?” “I know, right?” Cacophony replied with a chuckle. “Anyways, let's crash, bro. We've got a big day ahead of us.”